Starshine
by LittleBabeBlue
Summary: She never thought anything or anyone could shine brighter than the stars she loved. But then again, in a way, he was a star himself.


**Starshine**

Summary: She never thought anything or anyone could shine brighter than the stars she loved. But then again, he was a star himself.

Disclaimer: If I wrote Harry Potter, I would be lounging in a pool somewhere in the Bahamas with Tom Felton tending to my _every_ whim. *_wicked grin_*

_Chapter One- Crash Landing_

Blue-Winged Shimmers are the rarest, most special kind of Shimmer in the entire world. They have the power to make things invisible for short periods of time, often leaving humans to whirl around looking for whatever has just vanished in front of them; they can go many places unseen and unheard; and they also have the power to attract the gaze of certain blond-haired females currently running barefoot through the corridors of Hogwarts.

Her feet slapped against the cold stone floor, her toes freezing every time they made contact, only to be warmed again by the blood circulating through them. Her hair streamed out behind her, caught in her own breeze and becoming progressively more tangled. She didn't mind. She had more important things to think about. Namely the Blue-Winged Shimmer she was intent on capturing. This was the second one she had seen in the castle this year, the first she had caught and bottled, only to have it escape when her clumsy roommate smashed the jar. It had obviously been an accident. Who knew what creature had tripped her classmate on her way to her bedside table to borrow her hair brush?

She was intent on capturing this Shimmer. After the incident she had spelled all her jars to be unbreakable, and she could feel one now, clinking inside her robe pocket as she ran after the two blue wings. It was just going around the corner now, if she sped up she might be able to catch it before it hit another long corridor. She went faster, her feet hardly touching the ground, and then...

She was on the ground in a tangle of long hair and limbs. Her head hit the floor, causing her glasses to fly off, and her vision flashed white for a moment. A loud ringing started somewhere in the castle, blocking out all other sound. She thought she might have made a noise, but couldn't be sure. Something moved underneath her, a head of black hair appeared at her side, shoving her off the rest of it's body as it rose. She blinked owlishly from her low vantage point as the body just seemed to keep on rising. Whatever this was, it was extraordinarily tall.

She blinked again and the form resolved from a wavering column of black and tan into the face and body of a boy, looking extremely angry at being knocked over and sat upon. A third blink allowed her to register that he had seen that she was female. His face immediately smoothed, he held out a hand and said, in a voice that was smoother than chocolate silk, "Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Ring. Ring". She blinked hard and shook her head. As far as she knew, when someone opened their mouths and started to speak, they were supposed to sound like more than a giant, tolling bell.

Putting aside this latest development in the English language, she rolled over and looked for her glasses. They had landed a few feet away under a windowsill, and she could see that one of the frames was cracked in half. She got unsteadily to her feet and wobbled over to the window. Her hand reached down to pick them up and she leaned dangerously to one side. Some small, sensible portion of her brain was telling her that she really ought to go to Madame Pomfrey as she probably had a concussion, but she ignored it in favor of picking up her now ruined glasses.

Turning back to the tall boy, she saw that his hand was lowered and he looked as if she had done the exact opposite of what he had expected her to do. She peered at his face, not because she was shortsighted, but because she didn't recognize him, although he seemed very familiar. The ringing bells in the castle must have stopped at some point because she could now hear the boys voice. It had lost it's chocolatey smoothness and was now bordering on irritated concern.

"Did you hit your head? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"You're very tall."

His mouth snapped shut and he looked at her somewhat oddly. "What?"

"I said, 'you're very tall.' And you broke my glasses." Her voice changed at the end of her sentence. It lost it's enunciated clearness and became more normal, filled with hints of sadness and annoyance. She pulled the jar out of her pocket and checked it. There was not a crack in sight. Nodding, she placed it back inside her robes and resolved to put the same charm on her glasses. With a jolt she realized where she had seen him before. Never directly, he had never spoken a word to her, but he was the one all the other girls were always talking about during those sleepover nights in her dormitory. He hadn't said anything back yet, so she decided to be the one to continue the conversation.

"Hello Sirius Black," something struck her, maybe he could help her! "I'm chasing a Blue-Winged Shimmer. Did you see which way it went?"

"Er... no?"

"Pity," she sighed. Now she would have to start the chase all over again. It was a well known fact that if you left a Shimmer out of your sight for too long it would become invisible and then you would never find it, not even of you offered it it's favorite snack of milk and honey poured over Rhubarb pie.

"Goodbye, Sirius Black." She turned to go, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hang on a minute." The charming smile was back in full force. "I'm sorry for knocking you down. Maybe a day with me in Hogsmeade will help?" His voice had slipped from chocolate to honey, becoming enticing, begging her to accept.

"Thank You, Sirius Black. I better go to the Hospital Wing now." She turned to go, but had only taken a few steps before he spoke again.

"Wait! Was that a yes?"

"Yes, Sirius Black. I will go to Hogsmeade with you. " She didn't even turn around. He said something behind her that sounded suspiciously like a "good", or possibly an "okay, I've got another girlfriend, I'm set for the week".

Just as she was about to round the corner, he called out in a slightly panicked voice, "Hey! What's your name?"

This time she did turn around, but kept walking, facing him as she turned out of sight. "Asia Halle," and then she was gone.

Asia was swinging her legs in the air, letting her heels thunk against the wood siding of the Hospital Wing beds. She knew what would happen once Madame Pomfrey came back with the Concussion Draught from Professor Slughorn. She would be trapped in here until at least tomorrow morning. It was lucky for her that classes were over for the day, she would only miss dinner in the Great Hall. It wasn't a bad trade off, she got to be alone and watch all the Fluttermumfs (fairy birds that were attracted to sickness) that floated around in the Hospital Wing instead of sitting alone at the far end of Ravenclaw table.

Asia had repaired her glasses as soon as she could see straight and had put them on immediately, although her head hurt an awful lot right now. Reaching up, she could feel a goosebump the size of a large egg underneath her hair. It didn't hurt anymore, something that she wasn't sure if she ought to be worried or relieved about. She was just watching as the Fluttermumfs congregated around a sleeping boy with a bad case of the flu when the Hospital Wing door opened.

Looking up in case it was Madame Pomfrey returning with the medicine, she

was disappointed to see that it was only her four roommates. Three of them were clustered around one girl who had tear tracks down her face and smudged makeup, like she'd been crying. Asia noted with interest that the Fluttermumfs didn't so much as look up from the boy they were pestering. "Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey! It's an emergency!"

"Hello." Asia's voice rang out in the quiet of the Hospital Wing.

"Oh. It's you." The girls laughed, even the girl who had been crying joined in. Asia watched them curiously. Turning around, she could see nothing that was remotely funny, unless you counted the one Fluttermumf doing cartwheels, but she was pretty sure that the girls couldn't see that. Asia just smiled and waited for them to finish laughing at whatever inside joke had just happened.

"Madame Pomfrey will be back soon. She's just getting me a Concussion Draught."

"Why? Who knocked you over?" They looked so eager too know that she obliged them. It wasn't like it was important anyway.

"Sirius Black." That set them off, they were all tittering like birds now, whatever the reason for their visit completely forgotten.

"Ooh, like... what happened?" Asia was pleasantly surprised that they were interested enough to ask more. It seemed that in her presence, they were usually talking amongst themselves, or laughing at some inside joke that she wasn't privy to. She smiled uncertainly at them and continued.

"I was running around the corner, and he was coming around the corner and we collided, that was it." They sighed as if disappointed, but stopped at her next words.

"And then he asked me to Hogsmeade."

"What?" "You?" "He asked _you_ to Hogsmeade?"

Their voices all rang out at the same time, all disbelieving. For some reason, Asia felt herself getting a bit defensive. This was the most that she had talked to her roommates since introducing herself to them in first year, she should be glad that they were including her, but for some reason inside her, she wasn't.

"Yes, he asked me. Why don't you believe that?"

"No reason," the leaders voice changed, becoming a welcoming purr, begging for more information. "It's just that he's like, the _king_ of Hogwarts. No girl stays with him for more than like, a week, ever. I mean, we've all had our turn with him, right, girls?" They all nodded. The leaders voice changed again, becoming far colder. "So don't even think about it. "

"Don't think about what?" Asia was completely and totally confused. The first time any boy had really talked to her, beyond asking for something in class, and people were blowing it out of proportion. "It was just a nice gesture. He was apologizing for knocking me to the ground."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way."

Just then, the doors opened again, admitting Madame Pomfrey, holding a purple beaker. The girls stepped away from Asia, clustering around the fourth, who was again crying.

"Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey! It's an emergency! Please!" They blocked the medi-witch from getting at Asia, demanding silently that their problem be solved first.

"What is it?" The older witch was trying to sound comforting and calm, but was obviously annoyed that they were getting in the way of her other patient.

"There was like, an accident in potions, and like, all her fingernails came off! It's like, so horrible to look at!"

Madame Pomfrey waved her wand at the girl and pushed her aside, getting to Asia and giving her the potion before chivying the four out of the Hospital Wing. Asia could hear them squealing over the new fingernails that Madame Pomfrey had regrown and gifted with soft white nail polish as her headache subsided. "Honestly, Miss Halle, it's not even the second week of school and your already under my care with a head injury. Do be more careful."

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I will." She placed the empty bottle to the side carefully, not even shuddering at the bad taste it left in her mouth.

"If only all my patients were as good as you, Miss Halle. I would be set for life."

She smiled kindly as she handed Asia a pair of pajama's. "I'm afraid though, that you must stay under my care for the night. Just stay away from Geoffrey, I don't want to see you back in here with his flu in a week."

Asia nodded and changed behind the curtains before sinking into her bed. While erasing all traces of her concussion, and even de-swelling the lump on her head, the potion had left her with an extreme case of sleepiness. The last thing she saw before removing her glasses and going to sleep instantly was a troop of Fluttermumfs flying across the nearly-full moon.

The Fall wind swirled through the entrance hall. Asia was wearing her customary jeans with a ruffled yellow tank-top. Her purple high-tops completed the look. The only way that you would know that she was meeting someone to go to Hogsmeade would be to look at her hair. Instead of the loose tumble of blonde curls that hid her face, she had pushed it back with a gold headband that glinted in the chilly showed off her purple teardrop earrings that were enchanted to sparkle in any amount of light, among other things. Namely warding off any creatures that came to her.

A loud burst of noise from the grounds came to her. Four boys, including Sirius Black were slowly making their way up the grounds to her, jumping in every leaf pile they could find along the way, laughing. Asia sighed, not because she was impatient, but because it looked like so much fun, jumping into leaf piles with your friends. She wished she had friends so she could do it too. The boys caught sight of her and Sirius Black's tall frame waved her over.

She walked down the embankment, the chilly wind nipping at her bare shoulders, her converse making squishing noises as the pressed against the damp grass. When she reached the boys, they had leaves stuck all over them, in their hair, on their shoulders, in their pockets, down their shirts. They looked like walking trees and Asia had to fight down a giggle. One of them, who she thought might be James Potter spoke to her. "Hey, you're Asia Halle, right?"

"Yes."

She looked right at him, her blue-silver eyes making direct contact with his own hazel ones. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, even though he was the one who had started talking with her. He was made more uncomfortable at her next words. "You're covered in leaves. Should I cover myself in leaves too?"

Behind him she saw Sirius Black and Remus Lupin exchanging an amused glance and got the feeling that they were laughing at the situation. Trying to make it less awkward for everybody she reached up and started pulling leaf skeletons out of James Potter's hair and dropping them to the ground. A short boy who's name she thought started with a P was looking distinctly uncomfortable, as if he didn't know what he should do. James Potter was looking at her like a deer in the headlights and she looked at him again before stepping back.

"There. All better." The boys were slowly recovering, James just gaped at her before turning to Sirius and gaping at him, as if demanding an explanation. Sirius grinned and pushed him away. "Will you do me next?"

Asia just nodded, wanting to make a good impression on the first boys to ever talk to her and started to pick leaves off of his body. In short order she had finished him and was dragged by Sirius over to Remus as well. He had realized what was going to happen and was picking leaves off himself, so there was nothing for her to do. She turned to the short boy, but all the leaves were gone, courtesy of James. She clapped her bare hands together and hugged them to her sides. It really was quite cold out.

The four boys made their way to Hogsmeade, not paying any particular amount of attention to her as she walked beside them, although James did send her one or two odd glances along the way. She didn't mind. They were friends, and friends were supposed to stick together.

They split up once they hit the village. Remus and the boy who's name started with P went off into Honeydukes, intent on getting their supply of sweets for the next month until they could come back. James ran away in order to preserve his life after putting frosty leaves in Sirius' hair, and Sirius finally turned to Asia.

"Can you wait for the Three Broomsticks till later?" He grinned at her, not even a little apologetic that he had ignored the girl he invited to Hogsmeade the entire way there.

"Alright, Sirius Black."

"Let's go." He was pulling her into Zonko's, the joke shop. He seemed to know his way around the place like the back of his hand, and Asia stood quietly, watching him navigate the scorched and slimy shelves. Sirius paid the man for a large bag of something that looked suspiciously like fake candy, and then they went out again.

The cold wind hit her in full force and she ran her hands up and down her upper arms, trying to bring back some warmth into the goosebumpy flesh. Sirius started leading her off the main path, and looked down at her. "Why aren't you wearing a cloak?" His tone left no mistake that he thought he already knew the answer.

"I lent it to a roommate and it somehow fell into the Common Room fire, she's very clumsy."

Sirius was visibly taken aback, as if that had not been what he was expecting. In truth, he had thought that the girl had purposefully left it off to try to tempt him with her bare shoulders and neck.

"And you're gloves?" His voice was a bit colder for some reason.

"They fell out of the tower window and got swept away in the wind." She didn't turn to him, but kept looking ahead, her eyes fastened loosely on the buildings in front of her. There was silence for a while. Finally Asia heard a sigh from beside her and a warm weight settled on her shoulders. She turned her head and saw a now cloakless Sirius Black looking straight ahead and walking with his eyes fixed forward.

"Thank you, Sirius Black." Her voice was quiet. No more words were exchanged until they reached their destination. The broken and shredded building before them leaned to one side dangerously, leaves swirled in the muddied doorway.

"They say itʻs haunted." She jumped at his sudden voice. It was light and friendly, as if the prospect of a shack filled with ghosts was nothing.

"The most haunted building in Britain." Her voice was quiet, but clear. "But thatʻs not true. There are no ghosts."

He gave her an amused grin, "No? Then what did all this to the place?" He gestured to the ripped and torn boards that made up the house, the blown out windows, the chimney lying on it's side in a pile of desiccated leaves.

"A werewolf."

"What?!" He seemed a bit panicked for some reason. Asia turned to face him and smiled, as she did so she saw him clamp something down in his face.

"Sirius Black, they call you the king of Hogwarts." She changed the subject. He blinked at her, a little surprised at her topic change.

"But Hogwarts has a Headmaster, not a king. How?" Sirius looked unsure about what she had just said, so Asia elaborated.

"How can you be the king of Hogwarts when Hogwarts has a Headmaster?"

He just looked at her. A small smile was working itʻs way around the corners of his mouth, soon he was full out laughing. Asia just looked at him as he slowly doubled over.

"I like you, kid."

"Why?" Asia actually wanted to know, she didn't have a clue what was going on anymore

"Your just, you." His grey eyes sparkled in the fall light.

"Of course I'm me. Who else would I be?"

"Exactly. You don't try to be fake, you haven't once tried to touch me or hold my hand. You most certainly haven't tried to kiss me."

"Why would I do that? You're just apologizing to me for knocking me down and breaking my glasses."

"Oh yeah, did you manage to fix those?" In reply she pulled them from her pocket. They were golden with two different colored lenses and red symbols fluttering around the rim that looked like a comb on either side. Running through the frame around the right lens was a crack in the paint that looked like a scar slashed through the glasses.

"I couldn't fix the paint, but they work alright." Asia ran her thumb over the split in the paint and smiled a bit sadly. Sirius looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting a bit dark, do you wanna go to the three broomsticks?"

"Only if you want to Sirius Black, personally it's a bit close to dinner to go to a restaurant for me."

"Alright." He sauntered past her, back towards the main road. They walked in comfortable silence back to the path. Asia could see many other Hogsmeade goers trudging back to the castle ahead and behind them and pointed out Sirius' friends to him.

"There they are, if you want to go back to them, I can go on ahead."

"Would you? Thanks." He smiled at her, but wasted no time in turning around to meet with his friends. "Wait!"

"Yes?" He was walking backwards, impatient to get to his group. "Your cloak! Here." She ran to him and handed it back. Slipping her glasses on and shivering in the rapidly cooling air, she faced Sirius again. "Thank you."

"For what? It was just a day in Hogsmeade."

"No. It was the best day I've ever had at Hogwarts. Thank you." He smiled at her, a genuine smile, unlike the goofy grins he'd been pulling on and off all day.

"My pleasure."

Asia smiled, nodded, and ran through the castle gates. Behind her she could hear the shouting voices of the boys greeting their best friend. It had been the best day of her life


End file.
